Feeling His Oats

Veteran rolls into Times tourney finals

BY ANTHONY NASELLA
Times Correspondent

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, June 6, 2005 12:16 AM CDT

BOWLING | TIMES INDIVIDUAL CLASSIC

Where: Olympia Lanes, Hammond.

Up next: Finals, 2 p.m. Sunday.

HAMMOND | The last time Billy Oatman bowled in the Times Individual Classic was when the tournament was held at the Bowl Era lanes in Hammond.

And even in those days, Oatman had never qualified for the semifinals or finals. He never even cashed.

But Oatman has definitely rewritten some personal history during the 56th annual Pepsi/Times Classic at Olympia Lanes.

Already the top qualifier in Class A, the Chicago resident busted loose with a 257 and 247 in his first two games en route to a sizzling 703 series and the first-place spot going into next Sunday's 2 p.m. finals at Olympia Lanes.

"The whole point today was to just maintain and to just do what I did in qualifying," Oatman said. "The lanes were pretty much the same, so I just wanted to make good shots and make all my spares. If I got in tough situation, I just kept my cool because I knew I had some breathing room.

"I didn't want to give any pins today, and I was fortunately able to do that. I'm ecstatic to bowl this well after being away for so many years and never having any success."

After skipping the Times Classic for years, Oatman was persuaded by a friend to consider giving the tournament another try.

"This is one of the big tournaments in this area," Oatman said. "So I decide it's worth bowling and then the Lord blesses me with an 825 in qualifying and I keep it going to the finals. I'm riding the wave and enjoying this."

The second-place bowler in Class A, Glen Leblanc, who reached the finals back in 2000, said he was just happy to end the day thereafter starting the day with a 181 game.

"I picked things up with a 264 and a 212, but I'm just lucky to have regained the momentum after that first game," LeBlanc said. "But we have some awesome guys in the finals (Oatman, Ken Parks, Bob Kammer Jr, Jay Bridges and Lou Gorcos), so it's going to be exciting."

Another first-time finalist, Chicago's Lynn Grant, bowls in leagues at Olympia Lanes. She came from ninth place in qualifying to take the lead the Senior B Division with a 518 scratch series and a 669 overall with handicap.

"I'm thrilled and shocked," Grant said. "I wasn't nervous at all because bowling is fun and relaxing to me. I didn't expect to get as far as I was when I came here, so I definitely didn't expect to be in the lead heading into the finals.

"I have loved bowling here at Olympia Lanes for the past five years, and I think it's the greatest bowling center in the universe, from the management to the lanes."

In the C Division, South Holland's Bill Tuttle, the 1987 Times Classic Class A Champion, moved into the leader's position behind a 590 scratch series and a 688 overall series.

"I started today with a 245, and that really got things going for me," Tuttle said. "The 181 and 164 that followed were definitely not the best two games I ever bowled, but I'm happy to be in the leaders position."